How To Decide What To Bring To College

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When I first went to college, and each semester thereafter, I would find that I had forgotten something essential and would then have to run around trying to find a replacement. Sure, there are small stores near the campus that sell most of the things you need, but they are usually over-priced by comparison with the big discount stores where you and your parents live, or compared with the “Back to College” prices you can get on Amazon.

So, how do you decide what to bring? By the time I graduated I finally got it right by using a simple trick. I would imagine myself in my room at college going through a typical day: asleep (on my favorite pillows), waking (aha – must remember the alarm clock), eating (need some crockery and cutlery), drinking (I like filtered water), personal hygiene, studying, walking to class, etc. As I imagined each activity, I would write down the items I needed.

So here’s the sort of back to college list I would create (with some notes about why I considered including each one):

Travel alarm clock: Your smart phone can double as one – but I’m never that confident that it will always work.

Quick food: Tins and dried “just add hot water” food for those times when you need a quick meal, e.g., soup, beans, Spaghetti-O’s, tuna fish, pasta, etc. You can get a College Dorm Kitchen Cooking Set to use in a microwave cooker for rapid ramen noodles, mac & cheese, oatmeal, and instant rice.